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Friday, October 21, 2011

Un-Scary Cleaning

Halloween is almost upon us, and I like a good scare as much as the next gal.
I know the drill:
Don't look under the bed, or in the basement, closet, or that big wooden trunk.
Love me some Arsenic and Old Lace
But one place that hardly gets it's just deserves as a scary place in the home is under the kitchen sink.
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (This is not my cabinet!
Now, I know for most people, a few chemical cleaners and detergents are often necessary. We have those child lock thingys on the cabinets in which we store our dishwasher detergent, hand laundering soap, bleach, etc. And I know that chemicals are not all bad. If we were immune-compromised, we'd be glad to have Lysol and the like to keep the germs down in the house. However, we are average healthy folks, and in light of recent studies that point to over-cleanliness as a cause of many types of illness (Google "hygiene hypothesis"), I like to keep it simple. For 90% of the cleaning in our home, I use Dr.Bronner's Sal Suds.
I simply put a tablespoon or so into a spray bottle, fill it with water, and keep it close by for wiping down counters, the table, baby's high chair tray (which I do rinse), etc. etc. Since we use it as our dish soap as well, I find the spray bottle handy for soaping up large pots and pans, and I think it saves us money as opposed to pouring gobs from the bottle. And saving money means more thrifting cash for sewing supplies. Yeah!
Patterns scored on our recent camping/road trip


If you wish, of course you can do the same thing with Dawn or any dish detergent you prefer, but don't think that because Sal Suds is a naturally derived cleanser it is not strong- I spray it in the tub and watch the soap scum run off of the sides. Gross, huh? Plus, it smells like pine needles, and I like pine needles.



Yeah, and you can still pour bleach in the toilet and spray a little in the extra icky parts of the shower.
Wait! DON'T PULL BACK THE SHOWER CURTAIN!

2 comments:

  1. What is that line drawing in the bottom left corner of the Butterick blouse pattern? I hope it's not a pattern piece! ;).
    (BTW, I am working on a research project this year re: the hygiene hypothesis. Our theory is that most benign intestinal worms release a fatty acid that is recognized by the human gut. Without this interaction (that was a normal part of human development for millions of years), bowel disease develops. Wow, sorry. Bet you've never talked about worms on this blog before! )

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  2. @Another Sewing ScientistThe line drawing is for the embroidery on the tab. There is a transfer. I traced it and tried it out, but I am horrible at satin stitching, so I ditched it. I am in the process of making this blouse right now, and should be finished soon (I hope!)
    It's really interesting that you are researching that! No worries on the worms, I am actually really interested in the subject. I think my husband would be great for your study- he does all kinds of nasty stuff and eats all kinds of old food no one else would touch, and he NEVER gets sick (knock on wood). He always says, when the baby is into something gross, it's ok, she needs to build up her immunity :)

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